7, 25 St. Paul himself complains that with
the flesh he serves the law of sin. For it is not in our
power, but belongs to God alone, to judge which, how great,
and how many the sins are, as it is written in Ps. 143, 2:
Enter not into judgment with Thy servant; for in Thy sight
shall no man living be justified. And Paul, 1 Cor. 4, 4, says:
For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified.

VIII. Of Confession.

Since Absolution or the Power of the Keys is also an aid and
consolation against sin and a bad conscience, ordained by
Christ [Himself] in the Gospel, Confession or Absolution ought
by no means to be abolished in the Church, especially on
account of [tender and] timid consciences and on account of
the untrained [and capricious] young people, in order that
they may be examined, and instructed in the Christian
doctrine.

But the enumeration of sins ought to be free to every one, as
to what he wishes to enumerate or not to enumerate. For as
long as we are in the flesh, we shall not lie when we say: "I
am a poor man [I acknowledge that I am a miserable sinner],
full of sin." Rom. 7, 23: I see another law in my members,
etc. For since private absolution originates in the Office of
the Keys, it should not be despised [neglected], but greatly
and highly esteemed [of the greatest worth], as [also] all
other offices of the Christian Church.

And in those things which concern the spoken, outward Word, we
must firmly hold that God grants His Spirit or grace to no
one, except through or with the preceding outward Word, in
order that we may [thus] be protected against the enthusiasts,
i.e., spirits who boast that they have the Spirit without and
before the Word, and accordingly judge Scripture or the spoken
Word, and explain and stretch it at their pleasure, as Muenzer
did, and many still do at the present day, who wish to be
acute judges between the Spirit and the letter, and yet know
not what they say or declare. For [indeed] the Papacy also is
nothing but sheer enthusiasm, by which the Pope boasts that
all rights exist in the shrine of his heart, and whatever he
decides and commands with [in] his church is spirit and right,
even though it is above and contrary to Scripture and the
spoken Word.

All this is the old devil and old serpent, who also converted
Adam and Eve into enthusiasts, and led them from the outward
Word of God to spiritualizing and self-conceit, and
nevertheless he accomplished this th